The Duplass brothers (The Puffy Chair) have the distinction
of making the first mumblecore film in which the timeline is definite:
we know it will take place over a weekend, unlike predecessors Dance
Party USA and Hannah Takes the Stairs, which drift aimlessly
and seemingly endlessly toward neither progress nor resolution.
Baghead has a typical set-up: Catherine (Elise Muller) still
carries a torch for Matt (Steve Zissis), who’s got a thing for Michelle
(Greta Gerwig), who likes him back but can’t shake the puppy-like Chad
(Ross Partridge). After seeing a terrible local film—actually a
knowing wink at the genre itself—the four struggling actors are
inspired to decamp to an isolated cabin for the weekend and write a
movie for themselves. Drinking and awkward pauses ensue. Then Michelle
sees a dude with a bag over his head lurking outside her window, and
now we’re in a Blair Witch Project/Friday the 13th mash-up.
As with all of these movies, there are a couple of good one-liners,
a gratuitous boob shot, way too much hand-held camerawork and a
resounding shrug at the end.
But they’re getting somewhat closer to something that’s about
something.
This article appears in Jan 22-28, 2009.